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<p>Government wants to make sure that higher education is available to all who wish
to pursue it and this includes mature students. That is why, in our last guidance
to the Director of Fair Access, we asked that institutions take into account the needs
of older learners and make more effort to attract mature students as part of their
Access Agreements. Higher Education Providers expect to spend around £860 million
for 2018/19 on activity to widen participation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, the government
is looking into ways of promoting and supporting a wide variety of flexible and part-time
ways of learning which should have the effect of making higher education a more attractive
option to mature students. For instance, we are consulting on how we make accelerated
degrees more widely available. These shorter degree courses offer various benefits
to all students - including lower costs, more intensive study, and a quicker entry
or return to the workplace.</p><p> </p><p>We have also taken steps to help those wanting
to study part-time, often a mode of study preferred by mature students, by offering
financial support in the form of loans to cover fees and maintenance costs. <br> <br>
The National Collaborative Outreach Programme (NCOP) is targeted at 18 year olds to
support the government goal in doubling the proportion of young people from disadvantaged
backgrounds in higher education by 2020. The NCOP targets those areas of the country
where progression into higher education is both low overall and lower than expected
given typical GCSE attainment rates in order to address a potential lack of aspiration
among school leavers. A key element of the NCOP is the partnership between universities
and schools.</p>
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